Listen, you’ve forgotten more about QB play than I’ve ever known. I’m just greedy. He looks like P5 signee all day but I was hoping for more “Wow” flashes of physical tools.
i absolutely get the desire for "wow," watching the guy rip off a 50 run off a keeper, lamar jackson style. who wouldnt want that?
but let's evaluate the kid in the framework of the UM offense, and what Cristobal and Gattis want to do.
no QB, including a guy like jaccurri, is going to need to be that kind of "lamar jackson type" QB.
instead, a QB in this system needs to have the athleticism where he can run RPO's, get to the edges on 50 and 90 series type passing plays, and pressure the sticks on 3rd and 7 when the pocket breaks down. he needs to be that kind of athleticism. and he definitely has that.
The problem is we have entered this weird and illogical era that unless someone looks like michael vick with the ball in his hands, then he's not "athletic" as a QB. that's just not how it works. joe burrow, matt ryan, matthew stafford, kirk cousins, derek carr ... etc. etc. .... are any of them "wow" factor athletes? not when you're comparing them to jackson or vick or one of those guys. but they are athletic enough to play the position well.
and no, i'm not holding a 17 year old to the arm standard of an NFL starting QB either.
point is, it's about context and projection. and this kid has upside. a lot of it.
could some more evaluation reveal it to be a mirage? sure. absolutely. and he could be a total flop, whether he goes to UM or somewhere else. the work/eval isn't done. but from what i've seen, (so far) the kid looks like the real deal.
but i still wonder .... will we take 2 QB's, and that's why we're moving quickly on him?